STEUBENVILLE, OHIO — At an event to celebrate a major expansion effort to prepare, connect, and engage students in the political and cultural work of the nation’s capital, Franciscan University of Steubenville officially dedicated the new Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald Franciscan University Homeland Mission in Washington, D.C., on February 28.

The Homeland Mission will play an integral role in equipping students to serve as joyful disciples in the public arena, advancing the missionary cause of positively impacting the principles and policies guiding the United States government.

About 175 people attended the dedication event, which was held immediately after the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Speakers included Father Rob Maro, coordinator for the pastoral care of priests for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.; Executive Director of Franciscan University Encounter Stephen Catanzarite; Franciscan University senior political science and philosophy major Amelia Abdalla; CEO and Senior Managing Principal at ExCorde Capital Ward Fitzgerald; Franciscan University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR; and Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, president emeritus of the Victims of Communism Foundation.

“We at Franciscan University are invited to be light…So we are spreading that light from one hill in Steubenville to another hill here in Washington, D.C.,” said Father Pivonka. “We believe the Lord is inviting us to do something radically different here in the nation’s capital. This is what the Homeland Mission is all about. It’s about bringing a sense of transformation and change to a city that desperately needs the light of God.”

Through the Homeland Mission, Franciscan students will have access, support, and encouragement to participate fully at the highest levels of the legislative process—and to do it with a missionary spirit. The initiative has been made possible thanks to a transformative $10 million donation by Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald. The donation allowed the University to acquire the residential and learning facilities that will serve as a dedicated hub for the University’s mission in Washington, D.C.

During the dedication event, Ward Fitzgerald spoke about being inspired by the Christ-centered mission of the University and said he and his wife, Kathy, felt called to participate in that mission.

“We are hollow vessels for the Lord. We want to thank you at Franciscan University for being who you are, and being what you are, so that we can participate in glorifying God through you and through the vessels that we become,” Fitzgerald said. “It really is a gift for us to be able to give to a place like Franciscan University.”

All programs and events at the Homeland Mission are centered around challenging students to work and witness for ongoing, systematic change in government, placing the human dignity of all people at the center.

Bremberg, a Franciscan University alumnus, highlighted how different the University’s mission in Washington, D.C., will be from other institutions that expand into the city.

“This initiative is not just an expansion of Franciscan University. It is a bold step forward in forming faithful Catholic leaders who will serve our country and the Church in a time of great need,” he explained. “This is not just another program. This is a launchpad for faithful Catholics to serve in every sphere where our presence is needed. It is a place where students will be equipped to defend truth, to advocate for the dignity of every human life, and to stand firm in a culture that often opposes what we hold most dear.”

The first group of students to take part in the Homeland Mission initiative were also in attendance at the dedication ceremony. Speakers at the event said the facility will not be used just for political science students but will host programs for students being formed in all areas of academics.  

Amelia Abdalla, a senior philosophy and political science major, said she was excited to see all the great work Franciscan students were going to do in Washington, D.C., in the years to come.

“Washington needs what we have to offer. As a student who feels called to take my next steps here in D.C., it is incredibly exciting to know that the Franciscan University community will be here to walk with me,” Abdala said. “Please know that not only is the gift of this beautiful property valued with appreciation, but we students also understand it to be a call to action—an invitation to leave one hill empowered to serve another. Through Franciscan University, God is building up the Body of Christ, and I can’t wait to see how he accomplishes that mission here in Washington, D.C.”

The Franciscan University Homeland Mission is part of the new Franciscan University Encounter initiative, which works to bring together the University’s academic, administrative, and evangelization resources to spread its mission and impact far beyond the Steubenville, Ohio, campus.

Catanzarite, who is leading programming and operations for the Homeland Mission in partnership with the Political Science Department, the Institute for Catholic Humanitarian Service, and many other Franciscan University departments, said he cannot wait to see what Franciscan students can do in a city sorely in need of truth, beauty, and goodness.

“Today’s dedication starts a new chapter in Franciscan University’s history of service to our nation and to the world,” Catanzarite said. “Through the Homeland Mission, we are creating new opportunities, relationships, and encounter that will prepare and equip our students to be joyful disciples while working in and around the federal government.”

To learn more about the Homeland Mission, email [email protected] or call Catanzarite at 740-284-5858.

To view photos from the event, please click here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC4v44